Electric lighting fixture



Dec. 27, 1938. MacFADDEN ELECTRIC LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Feb.- 3, 1937 INVENTOR Glenn E; Mac Faddezz ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 27, 1938 PATENT QF-FICE ELECTRIC LIGHTING FIXTURE ,Glenn MacFadden, Bufialo, N. Y., assignor to Markel Electric Products, Inc., Buffalo, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February. 3, 1937, Serial No. 123,896

4 Claims.

This invention'relates toimprovements in electric lighting 'fixturesiof the kind-in which the light modifying means, namelythe shades or 'diffusers,:as the casecmay'be, are removable.

One objectxof the invention .is .to provide for facility in "applyingand removing thelight'modifying'means of the fixtures.

A further object isto provide a fixture in which the light modifying means is supported in such avmanner as to .avoid subjecting any part of it to an excessive strain.

A sum further object. isa fixture in which provisionisima'deifortpreventing the light modifying means from canting or otherwise accidentally asearning an incorrectnpo'sition or from'vibrating in. the fixture.

The invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawing inwhich:

Figural-is a View, partially in section and -2() partially in elevation,-of a fixture embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a section taken along-line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure '3 is a section taken along line 33 Figure'Z.

Figure 4 .israfragrnentary view of the light =modifying .means.

The :fixturecillustrated is of the so-called wallbracket type. .It includes an ornamental plate '1 330 which is adapted to be mounted upon a wall or other.'supportingsurface over a suitable electrical outlet. The said plate is secured in such position by an element 8. It is formed with a neck la and carries a switch 9 for connecting the lamp it) of the fixture to power. The light modifying means which is associated with the lamp It] may be of any desired shape and may be formed from any suitable material. As illustrated, it comprisesan inverted glass bowl H which is carried by the neck la and which is preferably translucent in order that a portion of the light from the lamp ID will be permitted to pass through it and be diffused while the remainder of the light will be reflected toward the ceiling.

Means is provided whereby the bowl l l may be attached and detached with facility. To this end the front wall l2 of the neck la is formed withan opening is for accommodating a T- shaped lug M which is formed or provided upon 50 the bowl H, the vertical leg of the said lug fitting in a reduced portion of the opening l3 while the horizontal arm is arranged between the side walls of a wider portion of the said opening. When the lug I4 is positioned in the opening IS in the manner described the outer face of the par:

-side wa1lof thebowl' llifits conformably against thefrontwallof the :neck 1a, the engagement of I the walls ofthe opening" with the vertical-leg and the horizontal-arm of the lug serving to hold the zzbowl from ,cantingssidewise. 55

:The bowl i I .isheldin the position described by a-clip i'l'rwhich issecuredby a screw l8 to ;.a cross-piece E9, the latter connecting the side -.wal1s;2ii of the 'neck. Fla and being :located behind theyupperportionof the opening 13. The clip {110 lies-best shown injFigureZis formed to provide .idiverging resilientarms 2i which extend forwardlyithrough Itheopening IS .in the neck "la and an alignedopening zzpwhich is formed in the side wall of the bowl- Hover the .lug i4. 'Thoseglfi portions vofthev armsiZl which extend into the .bowl l i are/formed to provide reverse bends 23 which'resiliently engage the inner face of the side 'wallof the bowl. attopposite sides of the opening Hand in thevicinity of the upper marginal edgezji of the said wall, the terminal portions of the arms pbeing bent forwardly toxprovide thumb or finger pieces' 24.

"The clip i7 is-so designed that the reverse bends 23act against the inner face of the sidegza wall of .the bowl to force the outer face thereof tightly against 'theadjaoent wall of the neck la, whereby to hold the lug I4 in the opening it so that 'it will restupon the bottom wall thereof to support the weight of the bowl. 'The pressuresao exerted against the side wall of the bowl-by the reverse bends 23 is adequate to hold the said bowl tightly against the neck la and to prevent it from canting downwardly. Preferably the bottom of the vertical leg of the lug is slightly undercut, as illustrated, so that the bowl, when in its normal position, tends to move toward the neck la; It will be apparent, therefore, that the clip IT and lug l4 co-operate to secure the bowl II tightly in the desired position, whereby to prevent the latter from canting or otherwise accidentally assuming an incorrect position or from vibrating in the position in which it is secured. It will be noted that the weight of the bowl is transmitted to the neck la in such a manner as to avoid subjecting any part of the bowl to an excessive strain. This is of particular advantage when, as in the present instance, the light modifying means is of glass. I

In order to detach the bowl H the thumb or finger pieces 24 are forced toward one another against the spring action of the arms 2!, whereby to move the reverse bends 23 away from and forwardly with respect to the engaged portions of the bowl H. The latter, upon being released,

may be moved away from the neck la to withdraw the lug i l from the opening l3, it being noted that the arms 2| are normally located a short distance above (Figures 1 and 3) the horizontal arm of the lug i l in order that the opposite side of the bowl may, if desired, be tilted upwardly when the clip arms are held together in the manner described to facilitate withdrawal of the lug from the said opening. In attaching the bowl the clip arms are squeezed together to permit the lug M to enter the opening l3, it being understood that in this operation also the oppcsite side of the'bowl may, if desired, be tilted momentarily upwardly to facilitate entry of the lug into the said opening. Thereafter when the clip arms are released the reverse bends 23 there of move into engagement with the side wall of the bowl to secure the parts together in the manner described. 7 a

In the embodiment illustrated the'socket 25 for the lamp Ill is carried by an arm 26 (Figures -1 and 3) which is secured to the cross-piece I 9 by the screw I8, the said arm being supported over the clip I! and extending substantially midway between the arms 2! thereof so'that it will not interfere with the manipulation of the clip in the manner described. It is understood, of course, that the socket for the lamp Ill may be supported in any suitable manner, the construction shown being by way of illustration only. It is also to be understood that the invention is not limited to fixtures of the wall-bracket type but may be utilized to equal advantage in connection with ceiling and other types of fixtures.

I claim as my invention: U

1. An electric lighting fixture including a lamp, a light modifying means associated with said lamp and having a wall; said wall carrying a lug and being formed to provide an opening, a support for said light modifying means, said support being formed to provide an opening to accommodate said lug and a clip which is carried by said support, said clip having resilient arms which extend through said first named opening and engage said wall to hold said lug in said last named opening, wherebyto support said light modifying means in a predetermined position, said arms being yieldable to permit said lug to be withdrawn from said last named opening to enable said light'modifying means to be detached from said support.

2. An electric lighting fixture including a lamp, a light modifying means 7 associated with said lamp and having a wall, said wall carrying a lug and being formed toprovide an opening which is located above said lug, a support for, said light modifying means, said support being formed to provide an opening to accommodate said lug and a clip mounted behind said last named opening and having arms which extend through both of said openings to engage saidwall to hold said lug in said last named opening, whereby to support said light'modifying means in a predetermined position, said arms being yieldable to permit said lug to be withdrawn from said last named opening to enable said light modifying means to be detached from said support.

3. An electric lighting fixture including a lamp, an inverted bowl, a holder for said bowl, said 'bowl and holder having interfitting parts, a pair of diverging resilient fingers which extend across said interfitting parts and which have portions which enter. said bowl and engageithe side wall adjacent said interfitting parts, whereby to support said bowl wholly by one side in a substantially. horizontal position with said side Wall directed. upwardly, said fingers being accessible when said bowl is supported in the manner described and having extensions which must be grasped and manually moved toward one another to move said bowl engaging'portions away from said side wall and permit the bowl to be moved substantially horizontally in order'to enable its detachment by separation of said interfitting parts. a

4. An electric lighting fixture including a lamp, an inverted bowl, a holder for said bowl, one of.

said last two named parts being formed with an opening and the other with a lug which'fits in which must be grasped and manually moved to deform said resilient means to permit the bowl to be moved substantially horizontally to withdraw said lug from said opening.

GLENN E. MACFADDEN. 

